Hope for a species on Golden Frog Day

Hello everyone, this is Evan from the Herpetology Team. Today, August 14, is Golden Frog Day! I want to share some of the conservation efforts with Panamanian golden frogs that I have been working on through Zoo Atlanta.

The Panamanian golden frog is a beautiful species of frog native to Panama that has long been regarded as a national treasure of Panama. Unfortunately, the spread in the mid-2000s of the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, also known as the amphibian chytrid fungus, decreased the population of this species to near extinction. In 1999, this crisis prompted a group of organizations from around the U.S. and Panama to create Project Golden Frog. Currently, this effort involves many different people and institutions, including Zoo Atlanta. The mission was to create an ex-situ conservation plan that involved creating assurance populations of Panamanian golden frogs across different zoos.

The El Valle Amphibian Conservation Center (EVACC) Foundation is a nonprofit organization that was founded in 2006 as an on-the-ground response for the conservation of Panamanian golden frogs, as well as eight other threatened Panamanian amphibian species. EVACC has successfully bred and raised over 30 species of amphibians, and they have partnered with other international researchers to publish findings in scientific journals. Their quick response to the golden frog threat saved this species from extinction in Panama and made not just Panama, but the entire world, aware of this frog and the problem of the chytrid fungus.

Established in 2010, EVACC helped petition the government to make August 14 Golden Frog Day in Panama, where they also organize a parade in El Valle de Antón. During this parade, the town dresses up in golden frog attire and costumes to celebrate a national symbol.

At Zoo Atlanta, we currently house a population of 30 Panamanian golden frogs, as we are active participants in this conservation program and played a part in the creation of EVACC. These frogs are a focus in our Herpetology Department and for Zoo Atlanta in terms of conservation projects.

Since EVACC’s creation in 2006, all Panamanian golden frogs have by necessity been housed indoors at their facility to create a sterile environment safe from chytrid. Over the years, the populations have grown and stabilized in their care to the point that the next step is introduction. To accomplish this, the next step is to raise breeding adults completely outdoors to prepare them for the elements but still in a sterile environment. In 2024, I championed a grant through Zoo Atlanta’s Mabel Dorn Reeder Conservation Endowment Fund to build an outdoor breeding facility at EVACC. This facility provides all the necessary equipment to raise the frogs, as well as security from chytrid and poachers. This work was completed by February 2025.

In fall 2025, through Zoo Atlanta, I was awarded a Mickelberg Field Conservation Grant to visit EVACC’s facility in Panama. I visited in November 2025 and quickly realized I was in for a treat: My task for the week was to finish setting up the outdoor facility for the first tadpoles!

Each day was similar in Panama; I would wake up early and walk the trails birding until my shift started. For most of the day, I would work on cleaning and preparing the outdoor facility for the tadpoles. At night, I would walk the trails again in search of frogs!

In total, we set up four separate glass tanks with a pump running water across for the tadpoles. When we were ready, we counted 250 new Panamanian golden frog tadpoles from the indoor lab and took photos of them within a premeasured grid to get measurements. We then took them outside and separated them between the four tanks. This was the first time in EVACC’s history that this incredible species had ever been housed outdoors, and it was a real honor that Zoo Atlanta and I got to be a big part of history!

Since returning to the U.S., I have received many updates on those tadpoles and the outdoor facility. The tadpoles have morphed into frogs and are getting closer to adulthood! They have set up several adult enclosures outside with plants, moss, and soil to keep them comfortable. They have also raised many more tadpoles outside to boost the total number outside. If all goes to plan, these frogs and tadpoles and/or their offspring could be released into the wild in hopes of bringing this species back from extinction.

Evan H.,
Herpetology Team